Kukla's Korner Hockey

My gut feeling about Plattner, based on his time as a relatively patient minority owner of the Sharks before he assumed hegemony of the franchise, is that he will continue to show confidence in Wilson's ability to right the ship.

For one thing, I'm not certain that Plattner has spent enough time in NHL circles to identify a replacement if Wilson is dismissed. For another thing, Wilson's track record of producing playoff teams and playoff revenue -- the Sharks haven't missed the postseason since 2003 other than in the canceled 2004-05 lockout season -- earns him the right to fix the roster. If Plattner makes a general-managing change, it wouldn't be until season's end.

Also keep in mind that, for all of the Sharks' troubles, they remain on the playoff cutoff line. Yet after 17 games last season, the Sharks' record was 11-5-1 compared with their current 8-6-3. If the scoring drought continues through the next three games, all at home -- Colorado on Tuesday, Detroit on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday -- you can't expect Wilson to stand pat.

Would that place McLellan's job in jeopardy? After practice Monday, he was asked whether he felt as if he was on the hot seat.